His blog Untypical Boro has become the most popular in regional newspapers. And we certainly had fans amongst the student audience, keen to soak up his wisdom (and some secrets from The Riverside’s dressing rooms).

Today the wonderful Chantal Taylor – a Teesside journalism graduate and Multimedia PR officer at We Do Marketing – gave a fantastic lecture on how she turned the blog she did in the same module into a career.

It was incredible to see this amazing consummate professional give advice to students who just four years ago she was among, as her presentation shows.

And it was also a joy to see how her craft has developed as she has turned her passion for vintage fashion into a job, leading developments in the local scene including coming up with the idea for Boro’s new fashion quarter Baker Street.

SHE WEARS IT WELL: Chantal’s blog became her ticket to employment.

As I watched Chantal’s fantastic presentation I felt like a proud Mamma. The young women before me was so talented, but also had an amazing ability to turn great ideas into product.

Her latest blog What Chantal Wore Today has garnered praise from local media and fashion magazines. Go, have a look!

Both these media professionals really put me to shame. Since I had my baby last year my blogs are infrequent, to say the least.

And as I’m teaching blogging, it really just isn’t good enough.

Today I’ve given my students the task of writing their first blog entry in which they will make promises to their audience about what content they will be producing between now and Christmas when they simply hand in a link.

I hope some of them will continue like Chantal, who was the only one in her class to keep up with her blog after assessment, and brokered it into a career by establishing a niche for herself as one of the best fashion bloggers in the Boro.

However, as they have got to produce at least one blog a week, it’s only fair if I do the same. So here it is, in black and white. Laziness, life and infant child aside, my promise to you, Dear Reader, is that I will produce content at least once a week.